All In
by pompeypearly
Summary: We all know and love how Chloe saved Oliver – the man and the myth. Would it have worked if the roles were reversed?
1. Chapter 1

Oliver pulled the cap further over his eyes as she walked by his table. Another waitress had taken his order, but he was partly disappointed she hadn't felt his presence. He had always known her to be sharp, with instincts that could rival the best of them.

When he was sure she wasn't looking in his direction, he looked back up at her, free to take in the changes that had been made.

She could curl her hair, continue dying it brown, wear glasses and hide her curves under as many baggy uniforms as she wanted; there was no disguising her. The name tag said Anne, but she was still the Chloe Sullivan he remembered.

After everything they had all been through, he had never expected her to be the one to run. Hell, it had crossed his mind; he had even tried for a few days himself.

Three weeks of drinking, fighting, fast bikes and faster women had left him feeling lonelier than ever. Knowing that she would be there to hold everything together, waiting for them all to return, had hit him with more guilt than the death of Jimmy ever could.

Lois' disappearance had been the final straw. The afternoon he discovered her picture on the wall of the missing, he headed to the Talon hoping to find her there. He had wanted to offer her help in the search, but all he found was an empty apartment.

Knowing that with Clark gone, the only place left to Chloe would be the same building where she watched her husband die. He could honestly see her staying close to the last gift he gave her.

Instead of the perky blonde he knew, all that greeted him was a scrubbed bloodstain on the floor and settling dust.

Never for a second had he believed that she would give up.

Chloe had always been the one to remain strong when others doubted themselves and the world around them. The ultimate cheerleader; he couldn't believe that she would turn her back on her friends and the life she had lived for so long.

There had been no note, and no message left on her answerphone. He had even gone back to the Talon to look with a more critical eye.

Drawers were left half empty, and a single message had been left on Lois' laptop.

She had told her cousin that Jimmy had been murdered by the Cornfield Killer, and that without her there, there was no one she could talk to. She was alone without Lois, and staying behind hurt too much.

There had been no forwarding address, and no contact number. Only a promise that she would keep trying to reach her, in the hope that one day she would return.

That had been the key element in finding her. Once Lois returned, Oliver had known it would only be a matter of time before the cousins reconnected.

As much as Lois was part of the solution, he also knew that she would be a hindrance too. If Chloe wanted to stay hidden, then Lois would support her decision, even keeping her secret from those she loved the most.

Oliver had tried asking her for Chloe's location, which led to him trying to bribe her for information, and then eventually being forcefully removed from the Talon.

He ignored Lois' plea to leave it alone, and that he should respect Chloe's decision, but deep in his gut he knew that Chloe would have never let him give up like this. She had to know just how important she was to him, and to the team. Without her, he doubted if they would ever work as a team again.

Victor hacked into Lois' computer to retrieve the information he needed, three weeks after Lois' return. He had justified it to himself knowing that Chloe would have done the same for him.

The emails weren't easy to find, and without Victor's help he was sure that Chloe's secret would have remained hidden. Instructions had been left for Lois to stand at her beloved phone box to await a call. Luckily, Oliver was able to get a trace in time, leading him to this small town in the middle of nowhere.

He glanced back over at her, carrying plates of food to a hungry family. There was a forced smile as she handed out the meal, before turning and heading to the table in front of him.

There was no bounce in her step anymore. There had always been an energy about her; the way she moved, the way she spoke to people - it lightened the room no matter what. Now it was gone; replaced with a slump of her shoulders and a shuffle of feet.

"Hello, I'm Anne, and I will be serving you today. Can I get you guys any drinks?"

He fought the urge to stare at her as she addressed her new customers. It hadn't been his intention to confront her somewhere as public as this. He had just needed the confirmation that it really was her, to see her with his own eyes instead of through a camera.

Standing up, he left enough money to cover his bill and tip, before walking out of the door. The itch between his shoulder blades told him that he was being watched by her, but turning to meet those green eyes would blow his cover. He needed to speak to her tonight, and it had to be a conversation without an audience.

An old lock on an old window had barely prevented him from gaining entry to her apartment. Not even skill was needed, just sheer brute strength and the ability to climb a fire escape. It was worrying just how easy it had been, considering it belonged to a woman who had once prided herself on security and secrecy.

The apartment was sparsely furnished, and there were very few personal touches about the place. It wasn't surprising considering how little she had taken with her.

There was a small photo of her and Lois, and a picture from her wedding, presumably taken before Davis had torn his way through the guests and groom.

The entire apartment was no larger than his bedroom. The home she had shared with Lois may have been tiny, but it had had warmth and character. There had been colourful throws, scatter cushions, clothes haphazardly thrown around the room, and the aroma of coffee. It was lived in and loved.

From the place she was calling home now, he felt nothing but cold. Everything was in its place, and almost clinically clean. Not even an empty coffee cup in the sink, left over from a rushed morning. The bookcase held only a couple of well-thumbed paperbacks, and they were probably from a thrift store.

If he had to describe the feeling this place gave off in one word, it would be sadness.

He wandered over to her couch and sat down in the dark. Pulling his phone out, he began to check on his emails. There was no telling how long it would take for Chloe to arrive home.

After unlocking it, Chloe shouldered the door of her apartment open. It was old, slightly warped, and the manhandling required opening it left paint chips on her shoulder.

After using just as much force to close it, she slid on the security chain and bolted it in place.

Sighing, she leaned back on the crappy door and kicked off her shoes. There were red marks on her feet from where they had been cutting in throughout her shift, and she absentmindedly raised one foot to rub at it.

"Damn cheap shoes."

Chloe glared at the offending footwear as she made her way to the small kitchenette, needing the comfort of her favourite hot beverage. She switched on the small coffee machine, before grabbing her favourite mug from the cupboard above her head.

As she was about to grab the creamer when a sharp buzzing noise made her jump. A few sparks and a small trail of smoke was coming from the back of her coffee machine.

"No! Nonono!" She slammed her mug onto the counter and turned the power off on the wall.

With a heavy sigh she sat on the solitary stool in the kitchen and looked mournfully at the offending gadget. It looked like she would be living off instant coffee for the next few months.

As the lamp on the other side of the room switched on, Chloe instinctively reached into a kitchen drawer and pulled out a gun, aiming it in the direction of the light.

"I didn't imagine a warm welcome, but I didn't expect a gun aimed at me either. Put that thing down, Chloe."

"Oliver! What the hell are you doing here?"

The brief look of panic and fear appeared to leave her body, and her shoulders sagged as she put the gun away.

"I was waiting for you."

"Most people call, they don't skulk around in the shadows." She snarked.

Turning back to him he noticed the defensive stance she had taken, with her arms securely folded in front of her.

Oliver got up from his place on the couch and stood a few feet in front of her, very much aware that her fight or flight response was still very much there. She had every right to be jumpy still.

"If I'd called, would you have agreed to see me?"

"I think you already know the answer to that."

"Hence the breaking and entering." Oliver smirked as he waved a hand towards the window.

"You could have spoken to me earlier. I take it that Jack's hotcakes weren't the only reason you were stalking me at work?"

He should have known that his presence was not completely under her radar.

"I needed to see that you were alright." He said honestly.

"I'm not going back Oliver." There was almost a panic to her voice.

"What makes you think that's what I was going to ask?" He asked gently, saddened by her gut reaction.

"If you just wanted to check up on me and make sure I was okay, you would have just said hello at the diner. Instead, you harass my cousin and break into my apartment where a confrontation is less likely to cause a scene."

"Fine, you've got me. But that doesn't lessen my reason for being here." Oliver walked closer to her and put his hands on her shoulders.

"We need you back. Without you the team has become a mess, and I know how much it hurts Lois having you so far away."

"Don't try to emotionally blackmail me, Oliver. I still speak to Lois, and I know that the team will be far better off without me anywhere near Metropolis. I'm the reason things became screwed up in the first place."

"The blame doesn't lay squarely on your shoulders, Chloe. I was there; I saw it all first hand. Believing your life was worth sacrificing, and having too much faith in Clark Kent were the only things you were guilty of."

She huffed out a bitter laugh, and shook her head, her eyes resting on her feet.

"I'm just going to stop this here, because I'm not going to listen, no matter what you say. Consider me officially retired from the hero game."

He bent at the knees slightly to try to catch her eye. Even in her own home she was trying to escape him, no matter how small the attempt.

"There was a reason I offered you the position of running our little Watchtower at Isis. We need an eye in the sky, and there is no one I trust more to do that than you."

"I'm sorry, but my poor judgement has killed people, and I can't handle any more deaths on my conscience."

She sounded hollow and defeated. He could almost feel the change in her, but what shocked him the most was the lack of faith she had in herself.

"Poor judgement? Chloe, you weren't the only one who made bad decisions that day."

"I was making bad decisions long before Jimmy died. You even said so yourself!" Chloe said bitterly.

"What happened to learning from your mistakes, huh?"

She finally shrugged herself free from his hands, and gave him a familiar look of determination.

"That's exactly what I've done. I've walked away before any more damage is done."

He could see that she truly believed what she was saying; there was no hidden doubt there. "You honestly believe we are better off without you?"

"You've all seemed to survive fine without me so far."

It was his turn to let out a humourless laugh now.

"You're joking, right? Clark's running around Metropolis dressed like Captain Emo, Lois is firmly on Tess' radar and digging herself in further, and me? I've been a whiskey bottle shy of joining the AA!"

"And what exactly has that got to do with me?"

He walked towards her again, not to intimidate her, but so she could see just how desperate he was for her to listen to him.

"You would call me on my shit. You would keep Lois out of trouble. Hell, you would find a boot made of kryptonite to give Clark a righteous kick up the ass!"

"I'm not having this conversation, Oliver. Thank you for checking up on me, but it's time for you to leave now." She said as she walked to the door to her apartment, opening it for his benefit.

He followed her, but instead of walking through the doorway he forced the door closed. "No, I think we need to continue this."

"It's not my problem! It never should have been! I was never meant to get mixed up in that life."

Tears were threatening to fall from her eyes, but she seemed determined to ignore them.

"I'm not going to let this drop, Chloe. I need you, because I'm not sure I can get the team together without you in my corner. You know you've always been the brain to my brawn." He said with an encouraging smile.

"We both know that's not true. If you want to call as a friend in the future, that's fine, but if you pull this on me again, next time, I swear I'll run so far you'll never catch up with me. Are we clear?"

Any other person on the planet would agree that Chloe had been through too much, and seen too much. But she was smart, intelligent, and more than that she was a fighter. That woman was still there, but pushing her right now would have her digging her heels in further. There would be no talking Chloe Sullivan round, not tonight, not ever.

Oliver had always been a strong believer in actions saying far more than words, and he was sure that nothing short of action would convince her to come back.

"So if I promise never to mention it again, you'll at least talk to me?"

"As long as next time you promise to knock on my door, not just pick its lock."

"Okay. I can deal with that. I'll even leave the windows, too." He conceded.

Her shoulders relaxed as she let the tension leave her. "Thank you."

"How about I give you a call in a couple of days? We'll go out for coffee." He said, purposefully looking at the busted machine on her counter.

Chloe followed his gaze and sighed when she saw the pathetic piece of equipment. "I think I'll be climbing the walls by then."

"I'll make sure to order the biggest cup they have."

Oliver pulled her into a hug, and the stiffness in her body let him know he had taken her by surprise. After a couple of seconds, she seemed to relax in his arms. It gave him hope, because if she was willing to let him in as a friend, she wasn't completely lost.

With a final squeeze he let her go. "Look after yourself, Chloe. I'll see you soon."

She nodded as she opened the door to let him out into the corridor. With a small wave of his hand he left the apartment, leaving Chloe alone with her thoughts.

As he left the building, a plan began to form in Oliver's mind. It would take a lot of work, and there would be a fair share of grovelling on his part, but it would be worth it. He would bring Chloe back to Metropolis.


	2. Chapter 2

It had been a week since Oliver's impromptu visit, and life had returned to normal. For the first two days she had been constantly looking over her shoulder, just waiting for the next unwelcome surprise. To her relief it never came.

Oliver had called as promised and arranged to meet up with her the following week. He had apologised again for catching her unawares, but had insisted that Lois had made his life hell as a result. To make it up to her, there would be a triple espresso with her name on it, but only if she called off her cousin.

Chloe opened the door to her apartment, juggling the day's mail, bag and her shoes in her arms. She had just completed a double shift and her toes were about to begin a rebellion. Like it or not, she was shopping for more comfortable footwear tomorrow.

She dumped the papers and bag on the counter before turning to throw the shoes in the bin.

"Evil things." She muttered, before pulling her day's tips from the pockets of her dress.

Six dollars and thirty-five cents.

'Rough day' didn't begin to cover it.

At least once the sale of the apartment Jimmy bought for them went through, life would become more comfortable.

Sitting down at the counter she pulled the local paper from the pile of mail, intending to scour the job pages. As she opened the first page a small white envelope fell into her lap. There were no postage marks or stamps, but even so, there was no reason for it to be hidden in the newspaper. Picking it up, she noticed her name handwritten on the front. Her real name.

Maybe it was from Oliver, thinking that contacting her through mail didn't violate their agreement about asking her back to the team. Opening the envelope, all she found inside was a simple unlabelled disk. If Oliver had sent it, there would have at least been a note of some sort.

It didn't look like the junk CDs she found in her mail on occasion, and the local paper certainly didn't have the resources to run such a promotion. After debating with herself for a few minutes, she decided to play it before putting the disk in the trash, right next to the crappy shoes.

Opening her old and trusty laptop, she inserted the disk and waited for it to run. Instead of being greeted by loud advertisements and attempts to add spyware to her system, she was watching what appeared to be a copy of footage from a security camera.

She instantly recognised the area and the neon lights outside of the building it showed. This video feed was from one of the cameras situated outside the Ace of Clubs in Metropolis.

Chloe was about to pick up her phone and call Oliver to ask if this was his way of trying to make her feel homesick, when the man in question appeared on screen.

A sickening feeling settled in the pit of her stomach as she watched the tall blonde stagger from the side door and towards a row of parked cars. He was clearly drunk, or at least she presumed it was from drink.

She had heard all about his playboy past when she still worked at the Daily Planet. Oliver Queen had been no stranger to drugs in his youth, and with everything that had happened in the last few weeks she wouldn't be surprised if he felt the need to turn to them again. God only knew how she would have paid for a way to escape her mind for just a few hours.

Chloe watched as he quickly stumbled towards his car, and bit her lip to stop herself from screaming at the idiot on the screen. Harming yourself was one thing, but to willingly get in a car?

Oliver attempted to open the door, but instead of managing to get in, he simply slid down the door into a crumpled heap on the floor.

The door opened yet again, and this time two big guys dressed in suits entered the alley. They saw Oliver practically lying in the gutter, but there was no look of surprise or disgust on their faces. The one with his back turned to the camera simply put a finger to his ear and spoke into the wind.

Ten seconds later a black, unmarked van pulled up in front of the alley, effectively blocking Chloe's view. It wasn't long before she saw the back doors opened and the two men carrying Oliver into the vehicle.

The entire piece of footage ran no longer than two minutes. Chloe knew she should react, but she was rooted to the spot. Had she really just seen Oliver Queen kidnapped?

She picked up the envelope, hoping to find some kind of clue, but there was nothing apart from her name.

The security footage switching to another screen in the corner of her eye brought her attention back to her laptop. The sight of an empty alley was replaced by the headshot of a beautiful woman. At least she would have been beautiful, if it wasn't for the tear stained cheeks and the worrying glances she was giving to someone off camera.

As if reading from a card off camera, the woman began to speak.

"Shortly after the scene you have just witnessed, Mr Queen's personal belongings were searched. If you're watching this, then you're the listed as the next of kin for Oliver Queen. It also means that you are eligible to play 'The Game'."

Chloe was staring at the screen in disbelief. She had no clue that Oliver had her listed as his next of kin, especially after everything that had happened recently. She had always assumed that he would list Lois, or maybe someone within Queen Industries. Chloe never would have believed he would trust her with this.

But even so, what did these people expect her to do?

"Your part in the Game is simple enough. You are to arrange for one billion dollars to be transferred into a designated account within forty-eight hours. The account number will be provided at a later time. "

How the hell was she supposed to get her hands on a billion dollars? She was his next of kin! Even if he had named her the Grand High Princess Fairy of Everything, there was still no way she would have access to his money.

"You will find a way to deliver. For every minute that passes after the deadline, parts of Oliver Queen will be routinely delivered to you…in pieces. Involvement with the authorities will result in the same."

The video finished, and it left Chloe's apartment eerily quiet. A cold shiver ran down her spine, and with trembling fingers she picked up her phone and began calling.

First she tried Clark in the hope he may pick up, but all she was left with was an endless ringing. In order of her contacts list she attempted to call the team - AC, Bart, Dinah and Victor. Their phones seemed to be switched off, but at least she was able to leave a message with Bart.

Jumping from her seat she began to pace her apartment as the panic set in. She was helpless. There was nothing she could do, and the only people who could help Oliver and make a plan to rescue him weren't answering her calls.

The police were not an option, not if she wanted to keep Oliver alive and in one piece.

As she continued trying the same five phone numbers over and over again, she found a notepad and pen and began to jot down notes.

It was against her nature to sit still and do nothing. Besides, the minute one of her old teammates got back to her it would be helpful if they had something else to work from apart from the disk.

Scribbling away, she made a note of everything she had seen. The time and place of Oliver's kidnapping, a description of those that took him, even a description of the woman.

After an hour she still had no response from the messages she had left. As she continued to make notes she once again turned to her laptop for information. She began searching the local and national media, looking for any mentions of Oliver's absence and any recent public activity. She even hacked into the Metropolis PD's most recent files and 911 records.

The easiest person to ask was also the one person Chloe was the most reluctant to involve. Lois. There would be no stopping her cousin, and although Chloe would appreciate the help, she knew that Lois would never let it drop, and insist on being involved every step of the way. Superheroes be damned.

Chloe tried not to sigh. It seemed as though she were destined to always hide things and lie to those she loved.

"Damn you, Oliver!" She shouted into the empty apartment.

It was unfair, she knew that, but he was finally getting what he wanted. She was back in front of her computer doing things she swore she would never do again, and all because he had to get himself dragged out of an alley and into the back of a van.

She restarted the disk again, hoping to pick something up, something useful. This was the first time since leaving Metropolis that she wished she had brought some of her equipment from Isis with her.

Her phone vibrated across the worktop as it began to ring. Chloe answered it before the second ring, barely even glancing at the caller ID.

"Bart!" She practically shouted his name down the phone, relieved to finally be in touch with someone who could take this from her hands and find Oliver.

"Uh…hi, Chloe."

Her smile dropped at the lack of a nickname. She had never been Chloe to Bart. Chloelicious, Beautiful, Gorgeous, even Blondie; but never just Chloe.

"So you got my message?

"You're serious about this? Oliver's been kidnapped?"

"Yes. An anonymous disk was tucked into my mail, and it looks like the real deal to me. I really need your help Bart; I don't know what to do."

There was a small pause on the other end of the line, "Where do you live now, Chloe?"

"I'll text you the address."

Literally three seconds after she had typed out the message on her phone, and hit send, there was a knock on the door.

Once she opened it, everything was set to change. She had worked so hard to make a normal life for herself these past few months, resisting all temptation to go back to Metropolis and the people she used to know. Behind that slender piece of wood stood Bart Allen, and with him the possibility that her life would once again be turned upside down. Her only chance was to convince him to take the case and bring it to the team, keeping her involvement to the bare minimum.

Chloe took a steadying breath, and headed towards her front door.

Peering through the peephole, she felt her stomach tighten as she took in his appearance. He looked just as he had the night they tried to take down Doomsday.

She wasn't sure why she expected a change; maybe it was because their lives had all drastically shifted that night, and she didn't want to be the only one affected.

Except she hadn't been, had she. Jimmy paid more than any of them that night.

If she thought too much about her ex-husband, she would crack. WIth that thought, she opened the door.

He didn't say anything, or make any movement.; he just stood there looking at her.

"Thanks for coming." She said, and stepped aside for him to move into the apartment.

"Yeah, well...I didn't really have much of a choice."

Chloe walked over to her computer and extracted the disk, before setting it on top of the notepad and handing it to him.

"This is everything I have."

Bart accepted the items, but looked up at her in confusion. "I...Chloe, I have no idea what to do with this stuff. I've never soloed on something this huge. It's normally a team effort, y'know?"

"Call in the team - they'll listen to you!"

"You think they're calling me up, inviting me over for coffee? I haven't heard from anyone since Doomsday; no one's talking to me, or answering my calls."

Chloe walked into her kitchenette, hunting for something to clean so she wouldn't have to look him in the eyes. "I can't do this, I only make things worse. This problem needs to be handled by a real hero, and today that hero is you."

"Please. I need your help on this 'licious. I'm fast on my feet, but when it comes to problem solving, I'm just like the next guy." Bart dropped the pad and disk onto the countertop, before taking a seat on a nearby stool.

Chloe ignored the items, instead she set about filling her kettle so she could have a mug of substandard instant coffee.

"You're smart enough to do this, Bart. I know you can handle it."

"I've no idea where to start! And if we don't find Oliver quickly, I'm not sure what'll happen to him."

She finally lifted her eyes to meet his. "I've left this all behind me, and for good reason. You of all people know why I shouldn't be involved. I can't play at being a sidekick anymore."

"I need you. Without your help, I'm not sure I'll get to him in time."

"I can't...I-"

Bart zipped forward and held her hands. "Please."

His voice was soft, but his eyes were serious. It took a lot to zap the smiles and smart remarks from Bart. If she said no to him now, it would feel like kicking a wounded puppy.

"Fine; but you can't tell anyone where I am, or that I was involved in this."

"I swear I won't tell anyone, unless you ask me to."

Chloe ignored the part about her possibly wanting anyone to know about her, and simply nodded towards the disk.

"Your first step should be to check the disk for other fingerprints. It was hand delivered; it's a slim chance but worth looking at."

"My first step?" Bart quirked an eyebrow at her, "No, you mean ours."

"Ours?"

"Yep. So how about hopping on the Allen express. I'll guarantee you the run of your life." Bart held his arms out to her. "We'll be at the Isis Foundation before you can blink."

"Bart...I ca- I don't want to go back."

"No-one has to know. I'm faster than Stretch, you won't get caught."

"Our secret?" She asked as she stepped in front of him.

Bart picked her up off of her feet, and held her in his arms. "Our secret."

Chloe barely had time to draw breath before they were out of the door, and heading to Metropolis.


	3. Chapter 3

Once they had reached Isis, it had taken ten minutes for Chloe to find her feet again, and only five to get over the feeling that she was about to throw up over Bart's shoes.

He had helped her to remove the dust sheets covering her consoles and monitors, which all instantly sprung to life once she entered.

It made her feel nauseous all over again to think how these computers had helped her to feel in control. She resisted the urge to laugh bitterly.

She was never in control, it was all an illusion.

Now here she was again, playing with machines she had sworn never to touch again. It took a matter of minutes to start the fingerprint analysis on the disk, and even less time to commence the facial recognition programme.

Bart sat next to her, propping his feet next to her keyboard. "I didn't realise research took all this waiting around."

His feet started to bounce and twitch, and with her nerves already frayed, the movement was both distracting and annoying.

Opening a drawer to her left she pulled out a small wooden box. Within it was a spare earpiece, which she put him Bart's hand.

"I want you to investigate the scene of the kidnapping. Maybe there's something you can see that I've missed on the footage."

Bart put the earpiece in while Chloe checked communications were running. It had been a long time since the system had been used.

"I'll be about two minutes."

"Double check the area. We need as much to go on as possible."

Bart smirked before putting his hood up. "Four minutes it is."

He sped from the room, his wake forcing her to take a couple of steps backwards.

She breathed a sigh of relief. With Bart's nervous energy away from her, she tried to focus on the screens in front of her, trying not to acknowledge how easy it was to slip back into her previous role.

As the facial recognition software continued its work, she attempted to lift fingerprints from everything she'd been left at her apartment. It was a long shot, but there was always a chance that no matter how organised the criminal, there could be a slip up along the way.

The only fingerprints she found were her own. Chloe let out a small growl of frustration, happy that no one was around to hear.

"_Watchtower, I've got something."_ Chloe heard through her earpiece. She flinched at the codename, really not wanting to be associated with it anymore. It wasn't as if she could complain - there was no way they could use their real names in a transmission.

"What have you found?"

"_I've got his phone. Left in the gutter next to where he was grabbed."_

"Alright, head back to base." Chloe said before cutting the link.

The phone was probably dropped in the struggle getting Oliver into the vehicle, but she hoped there was at least a small clue on the smart device.

Bart ran into the room at the same time her computers gave off small alert pings. Chloe felt a small tingle of triumph as her software had managed to identify the three persons on the disk.

There was nothing surprising about the hired help who'd picked up Oliver and driven them away. Their criminal records were as she'd expected - assault, fraud, possession of illegal firearms. Those were just the things they had been arrested for, so their career was certain to be more extensive. It was their ties to the third individual that made them persons of interest.

"Victoria Sinclair." Chloe said.

"Who?" Bart asked as he placed Oliver's phone next to her keyboard.

Chloe typed into her keyboard before clicking on an image to enlarge Victoria's profile.

"The woman from the disk." Bart said, hopping up onto the stool at Chloe's console.

"Looks like the tear-stained victim routine on the disk was all an also goes by the name Roulette, and has made a career out of betting for high stakes. It's not unknown for her to take everything you have."

"But she didn't ask for Oliver's entire fortune." Bart said leaning closer to the screens.

"It doesn't make sense." Chloe said, more to herself than Bart.

"So what now?" He asked.

"Now, I need to go home." Just the feel of being back here raised her anxiety levels. If she could remotely access these computers from home, she would be able to access the information she needed in more comfortable surroundings. "I can leave the systems on here, but I need to be somewhere more comfortable, Bart. I can't work here anymore,"

He nodded solemnly. "Is there anything you want me to run to your place first? While you finish up here, I mean. I don't like hanging around in one place for too long either."

It looked like she wasn't the only one having issues with their proximity to Metropolis.

Chloe had barely finished setting up the Isis computers so they could be accessed remotely when Bart returned. Once she'd given him the okay, he'd scooped her up into his arms, and ran her straight back to her small apartment.

She set up her computer and equipment up on the counters in her kitchen, and she perched on her stool to go through the information gathered.

Bart had made himself comfortable on her couch, switching on the television with the volume turned down real low.

Chloe had to admit that having someone around, even if they weren't speaking was nice. It had been lonely, living out here on her own. Sure, she saw people at work all the time, but it wasn't the same as having real company. Real friends.

Shaking her head, she concentrated on the screen in front of her. It was taking a while, but eventually she was pulling up all kinds of information on Victoria Sinclair. Credit checks, store purchases, bank accounts, previous addresses. A lot of them were false leads, and they were similar to the results on her two lackeys.

She just needed something - that small, tiny piece of information that would hold the key to unlocking all of Sinclair's secrets.

Her frustrations must have been showing because Bart left the couch to stand next to her. He gently removed her hands from the keyboard, and looked her in the eyes.

"Any harder, and your fingers are going to punch through the keyboard."

"I'm trying,I really am, but I'm getting nowhere!"

Bart put his hands on her shoulders and smiled. "Take a deep breath, and relax. You'll get there, I know you will. In the meantime, I'm going to run out to grab us some food, and find you some decent coffee."

"Okay." she said, sagging a little.

"Cream and two sugars, right?"

She nodded in agreement before he sped from the room.

"Chloe!"

Bart's voice made her jump, and she almost knocked her laptop.

"Jeez, Bart! That was quick, even for you." She said, her hand to her chest, as if it could calm her heart's wild beating.

"I thought I'd check your mailbox before I headed out. This was in there."

Bart handed her an envelope, a twin of the one she had found earlier. Carefully opening it, Chloe removed the single piece of paper within it. On it was written a bank number and sort code.

"Is that all?" Bart asked.

Chloe immediately began putting the information into the computer. It didn't take long for the results to come up.

"It's a Swiss bank account under one of Sinclair's alternative identities. No doubt the money would be moved from this account shortly after transfer. It was only created two days ago."

"Can we get anything useful from this?"

"Probably not. I'll scan through footage from my neighbourhood to see if there's any sign of whoever dropped this off, but I don't hold out hope. The only CCTV are near the ATMs and main stretch of stores."

"I'll have a quick scout around before I get the food."

Chloe was about to return to the screens when Bart surprised her by putting his arms around her, and giving her a tight hug. "You'll work it out Chloe, I know you will." He whispered into her hair.

It was hard not to give him a small smile in return. "Thanks."

She was happy that he had faith in her, despite everything that had happened in the last few months. All that she needed to do now was find that same faith in herself.

Chloe's eyes were dry and scratchy as she continued to stare at her screen, trying to ignore the rising sun peeking in through her apartment window. Bart was softly snoring on her couch, and had been for the past four hours. He was just as exhausted as she was, but they were going to need his speed by the end of this. Impulse was her only chance of getting Oliver out of this alive, all she needed was his location.

Using CCTV and her facial recognition software, she was able to tie in the credit card numbers she knew they had used recently, and had managed to match three transactions to the two men who had grabbed Oliver from the club. All three transactions had happened in a ten mile radius of where Oliver had been taken within the last two days.

By those results alone, Chloe assumed that Victoria had to be close by. She was probably using another method of payment.

She began to compile lists of short lease apartments, hotels and motels within that area. The list totalled thirty, and each would need to be searched.

Trying not to feel despondent, Chloe began to hack the security feeds of the larger hotels on the list first. After watching the DVD of the well groomed woman on the DVD a number of times, as well as her record of expensive tastes, it was smart to assume Sinclair wouldn't be slumming it.

None of the hotel records matched Victoria's identity or her known aliases, but that didn't mean she couldn't be there. It just meant that she and Bart would be watching hours upon hours of footage, hoping for a glimpse of the woman or her flunkies.

Chloe stretched her arms above her head, and contemplated making a coffee run. As she lowered her arms she glanced at the clock, and almost swore.

It was six o'clock in the morning, and she should have left for work half an hour glanced at her phone and then her computer. She desperately needed to go to work, but if she did, there was no guarantee Bart would be able to find the answers he needed.

Readying herself for the verbal tirade she was about to receive, she picked up the phone and called her boss.

An employee calling at the last minute with a stomach upset was probably the excuse he heard the most, and he certainly let her know that, but it was one he couldn't ignore. Well, not without putting his customers at risk, anyway.

Chloe listened to the swearing and threats, begged for her boss to believe her, and added in the promise that she would make up her hours this week.

She inwardly groaned as she hung up. It looked like she was going to be eating the most basic of foods from next week.

"You should have told him to shove his job." Came a soft voice from her couch.

She looked over at the speedster, to see him yawning and running a hand through his hair. It was nice of Bart to defend her, but unlike him, Oliver didn't give her a paycheck. Once Oliver was home, she still needed a job to pay her bills.

"I'm sorry I woke you." She told him.

"I shouldn't have dozed off. You find anything new?" Bart asked as he got up and stretched.

"We've alot of footage to go through. The computer can't handle doing all of the searches on its own. Maybe if I had eight more monitors, and a system that would fill my kitchen, things would be quicker."

"Do we need to head back to Isis?"

Chloe shook her head. "I've got them remotely checking footage, but they aren't enough. Those computers were put in place by Lana, mainly to spy on Lex. They're not used to this kind of work, and they're certainly not built for it. You guys are going to have to look at some serious upgrades if you still need Isis' computers."

"So, it looks like I'm research boy to your research girl. What can I do?"

"I think the first thing you need to do is grab us some coffee, because we've got a long morning ahead of us. How do you feel about watching hours of security footage?"

"Sounds like I need to get some coffee." Bart said woefully.

Chloe cracked a smile at the miserable face he was pulling. "Maybe get yourself some breakfast too. I don't have much here."

"Okay." He bent down and started to put his sneakers back on. "You know, I've missed having you around, Chloe."

She looked at the laptop, hoping her would change the topic.

"I know you don't want to hear it, but I want you to know. I miss having you around, and I feel bad that I wasn't around to take care of you. You always took care of me. Well, all of us."

"I don't need taking care of, Bart." Chloe said softly.

She wanted to block out all thoughts of how she felt after Jimmy died. It still hurt, knowing everyone left, leaving her no choice but to do the same. The pain of the loneliness as she stood in the apartment Jimmy bought them still flashed through her, making her cradle her stomach to try to ease the pain.

"We all need someone, and we should have taken care of each other. Who else would understand?"

Chloe tried blinking back unwelcome tears. She didn't want to go there, so she looked harder at the video footage in front of her.

"Promise me that when this is over with, you'll still be around. I don't want you disappearing on me again. We were all at fault that day, and we all need to shoulder the responsibility. Friends are few and far between these days; I can't lose the ones I already have."

There was such a sadness to his voice, she felt her cheeks moisten with tears. She quickly wiped them away and tried to keep her voice normal.

"I've always been your friend, Bart."

Yet again, she felt Bart's arms embrace her as he hugged her from behind.

"For what it's worth, I'm sorry about Jimmy, 'licious. I need you to know that."

She nodded a few times before she could be sure sobs wouldn't leave her mouth instead of words.

"Thank you." She said, raising her hand to cover his.

"I'll go grab that breakfast."

Chloe was almost relieved when he left the apartment. She missed the comfort of his hug, but she was finally free to unleash the tears that she had been holding back for months. She hadn't cried since the day of Jimmy's funeral, not allowing herself the luxury of grieving. In her mind, she hadn't deserved to, and it was part of her punishment.

Bart's words opened up a wound she had been trying to heal for some time. Knowing she didn't have to live so isolated and alone, shouldering all that guilt herself made her feel a little better. She had been so sure that the team had blamed her for Davis' actions and Jimmy's death, and rightly so in her mind. It was nice to know that not everyone did, that maybe there was a way to come back from it all.


	4. Chapter 4

It was early afternoon before Chloe and Bart had their first success.

Victoria Sinclair was clever, Chloe would give her that. She was very aware of security cameras, making it hard to pin down her location. Chloe finally had her woman by chance, and the reflection of a mirror. If the ornate piece of glass hadn't been placed just so in the lobby, there was no way Chloe would have seen Victoria enter the elevator.

That is how she ended up watching real-time streaming of camera footage from The Metropolis Grand. She tried not to bite her nails as she watched a red blur steal a maid's key card.

It wasn't Bart's task of breaking into Sinclair's room that had her nervous. It had taken them hours to get this far, and while it might not seem long, for Oliver it's probably felt like like a lifetime.

There was a good chance that he was lying beaten and broken somewhere, waiting for a rescue. Oliver wasn't the kind of man willing to just sit there and wait for a ransom to be paid. Anything could be happening to him right now, and there was nothing she could do to prevent it. The thought made her sick to her stomach. For all his faults, he was a good man and didn't deserve to be targeted because of his money. He gave far more to charity than some billionaires she'd known.

The guilt that she hadn't already found him was bad enough, but she was now feeling the guilt of how hostile she was towards him the night she broke into her apartment. If that was their last conversation face-to-face, she wouldn't forgive herself.

"_Think I've got something here."_

Chloe snapped out of her thoughts to look at her computer screen. She had a live feed to Bart's sunglasses, and watched the hero's fingers pick up a small card from the dresser.

It had the name 'Roulette' embossed on the front, and an address printed below.

"I think we've just got our lead, Bart. Records show that she runs a moving casino. It looks like that it's business as usual, even while kidnapping billionaires."

"_Want me to check it out now?"_

"Depends how quick you intend on being. Anything more than a five second visit, and you'll probably need a costume change."

"_I'll scope out the place, see if Oliver's there. If he's not, I'll place a couple of trackers on Sinclair and her goons."_

It sure beat the hell out of Chloe digging out a dress and trying to talk her way in. Bart would find a way into the building within a couple of minutes, and they would finally be able to pinpoint Sinclair to one place.

She waited until she heard Bart's voice, not wanting to look at the screen while he ran to avoid motion sickness. Chloe watched the clock ticking by on her wall. Five minutes passed before she heard from Bart again.

"_She was there with one of the guys who took Oliver. I've managed to tag them." _

"Are you on your way back?" She asked as she turned to her screen.

"_No. I was hoping I could stick around, follow them from here. Sinclair looked like she was heading out"_

Chloe watched from Bart's feed as the two emerged from the building. She tried not to sneer at the bright red evening dress the woman was dressing, and concentrated on what she wasn't seeing.

"Where's the other one?"

"_He wasn't there."_

"I'd place a bet of my own that if we found him, we'd find Oliver." Chloe said, watching as Victoria was aided into a waiting town car.

It looked like she was returning to the hotel on her own.

"Follow him."

She watched the man, through Bart's eyes, get into a car of his own and leave. Squinting, she avoided the blur on her screen, silently wondering how Bart managed to see at all while he ran.

He eventually came to a stop, hiding behind a building along from where the car he was following pulled up.

"_Are you seeing this?" _Bart whispered.

Chloe felt that clench on excitement in her gut, and she knew that this was it. Bart had tracked the car to an abandoned industrial estate. It looked so run down and disused, no one would believe it was in use. All apart from the new fence and locks surrounding the buildings.

As they waited for the man to emerge from the car, Chloe brought up the CCTV feeds from three days ago of that area. She saw the van that had taken Oliver pull up outside the same building Bart was watching now, and an unconscious Oliver Queen was practically dragged through the door.

"This is it."

"_You want me to take this guy out?"_ Bart asked.

"No. Look for another way in, if there isn't then follow him inside. If Oliver's there, do your thing."

"_They won't know what hit them."_ he promised.

Chloe again avoided the screen, and just listened to the sounds in her ear.

"_Place is sealed up tight. Going in the front door."_

Chloe heard the sounds of fighting, well, the brief sounds of Bart fighting.

"_I've found him."_ Bart's voice lacked the relief she'd expected._"There's something strapped to his chest."_

She reactivated the screen to see through Bart's glasses again. It caused a pain in her chest, and a sick feeling in her stomach to see Oliver tied to the chair, and blood staining his shirt.

Trying to ignore the upsetting visual Oliver presented, she instead concentrated on his chest - or rather what was strapped to it. Zooming in on the device, she quickly cross reference its crude design with the small database Victor had started a year ago.

"_So, are we talking a blue wire/red wire situation here?"_

"Hang on two seconds."

Her computer beeped as she found the closest match.

"_Are you sure that I can't just pull this thing off and drag him out of here before it blows?"_

"Do you want to risk not being fast enough?"

"_I guess not."_

"Remove the front cover by gently pulling." Chloe instructed, as she read from her pop up window.

Watching, as Bart carefully did as he was told, she tried not to hold her breath.

"_It's off."_

"Do you see the big circle disk? Turn it clockwise, and it should pop right off."

Bart did as he was told, going slower than he'd ever had to.

"Can you see the power source?" Chloe asked.

"_You mean the little box with the blinking light?"_

"Yeah. Do you see the two wires coming out of it?"

"_Sure."_

Chloe took a steadying breath of her own as she re-read the instructions. "You need to pull them from the small box simultaneously. If you don't they'll blow. Once it's disconnected, take the harness off of Oliver and get him out of there."

"_No problem."_

Chloe began to chew on her thumbnail as she watched Bart put his fingers either side of the wires. She was actually sure her heart lodged in her throat as she watched him pull them.

There wasn't time for her to hold her breath, or make a sound, because as soon as the wires were removed, Bart, Oliver and the room vanished. Recognising Bart in motion, she closed his feed and took a steadying breath.

Refusing to give into the desire to cry from pure nervous energy, she jumped up from her chair and opened her apartment door. Within the blink of an eye, she was almost knocked over by Bart's wake.

There in the flesh, was Oliver laying on her battered couch. It took her a few seconds to fully realise that he was safe. Bart headed straight to her fridge, while Chloe grabbed her first aid kit from under the sink.

Bart handed an opened bottle of water to Oliver, while he began drinking from his own can of soda.

Chloe knelt down in front of Oliver, and began to open her supplies.

"So...hi."

Chloe rolled her eyes, and began cleaning the small cut on his lip.

"Was this your idea of keeping a low profile?" She asked as he winced at the light contact.

"At least you can't say Green Arrow dragged you back into the world of crime and punishment."

Chloe gave him a small smile. "I guess. Just plain, ol' Oliver Queen this time."

"I wouldn't say plain. I'm sure my looks played their part."

Chloe rolled her eyes as she stood up, having finished cleaning the worst of his cuts. "More likely the billions you have in your bank account."

"There is that." He admitted.

Oliver sat himself upright, and made pained faces at the movement. His gaze landed on her computer equipment set up throughout her apartment.

"What's going on here? Looks like more than just finding me."

Chloe's computers were still displaying Victoria's personal information.

"The woman who took you is called Victoria Sinclair, and what you are watching is me destroying her life with the power of technology." She tried not to smile at the thought of the thorough job she was doing. Pride normally came before a fall. She had learned that the hard way.

"What are you doing?" Oliver asked suspiciously.

"Don't you worry about that. I'm just laying the groundwork for the local PD to pick her up, or for her to finally crawl out of the woodwork. Either way, she'll be away from you and your fortune."

"What if she comes after you?"

"I have a gun, and I'm a pretty good shot. Besides, Bart's around. She'll be in custody before bedtime." Chloe said confidently.

"I don't like it."

"Dude, she's just turned her life upside down, and probably lost her job to get you back. Now is the time for quiet." Bart piped up from across the room.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Oliver admitted.

"I'm going to run him to Emil, have him check over." Bart said.

"I'm fine, just a little dehydrated and in need of a steak or two." Oliver said, trying to stand.

Bart assisted him to his feet. "Come on, you know the drill. She won't let you just head home. Better not to fight it."

"Thank you, Chloe. For everything." Oliver took a step forward so he could wrap his arms around her. She relaxed into him, and wrapped her arms around him in return, enjoying his proximity, and the solid knowledge that he was safe.

"You're welcome."

"Call me."

She nodded in affirmation before both Oliver and Bart were gone from her apartment.

She stood in the middle of the room, trying to embrace the quiet and solitude her place used to provide. However, now it just felt isolating and uncomfortable. There was something missing, and she knew what it was.

Friendly voices and human warmth couldn't be replicated by second hand books and thick walls.

Bart and Oliver, whether they had intended to or not, had effectively destroyed the delusion she was safely building here, away from Metropolis.

She caught the sob in her throat, and immediately held her hand to her throat. Blinking back sudden tears, she tried to regain control of herself. The prospect of Oliver dying had brought back all of those emotions she'd tried to bury after Jimmy's death.

Feeling the fatigue of the past few days, and the heavy change in her mood, Chloe knew what she needed to feel whole again.

She ran a bath.

As Chloe came out of her bathroom she knew something wasn't right. There was a movement in the air of her living room, and she could feel herself being watched. She felt the barrel of the gun before she saw it.

Victoria stepped from around the bookcase and prodded Chloe further into the room using her gun.

Chloe stood in the centre of the room as Victoria moved towards the laptop set up on the counter.

"I don't know what you did, but you need to change it back. My identity, my money - everything." The woman ordered

"No." Chloe replied.

"I have a gun to your head, Miss Sullivan."

"And I have a virtual one to yours. I have the power here, not you." Chloe said, sounding a lot braver than she felt.

"Will you give it all back to me?"

"I protect my own. Mess with me or my friends again, and I'll make sure your identity will be permanently deleted, and every major law enforcement agency in the world will have you listed as their most wanted." Chloe's voice was steady, but she made sure they were hard and to the point.

"You can't watch me twenty-four seven." Victoria sneered.

Chloe smirked. "Oh, I can. I have both the equipment and the skills to do it. You've met your match, so you'd better hope to kill me now. Either way, your life will be lost." Chloe said, nodding towards her computer. "Only I can retrieve it back."

"What gives you the right?" Victoria spat out.

"You gave it to me, when you decided to play with lives and plan to get away with it. I've made it my role in life to stop people like you."

Victoria laughed. "You're just a waitress living in a backwater town. You're nothing I can't handle."

Chloe walked closer, defiant in the face of the gun pointed at her. "I'm not just a waitress."

Instead of hitting out like Chloe expected, Victoria just smiled and lowered her gun.

"I just did the job I was hired to do. For a private detective, you're scarily thorough. I hope that once all of the facts come to the surface, you'll have mercy on me and restore everything."

Victoria removed the clip from her gun and showed it to Chloe. It was empty.

"Well played, Miss Sullivan."

Chloe watched as the smiling woman left the room. It didn't take her long to work out who had hired Sinclair.


	5. Chapter 5

Chloe hadn't been at all surprised when Oliver's secretary had led her straight into his office. The odds were high that he'd pre-warned the friendly woman of an unexpected visitor today.

It was a last minute decision to come to Metropolis that morning. She had spent most of the previous night pacing her small apartment, alternating through various emotions. Anger, indignation, embarrassment, and then back to anger again. Finally, at somewhere around four in the morning, exhaustion had taken over, allowing the reasonable voices in her head to make their way through her prickled pride.

The secretary opened the door to Oliver's office with a smile, and closed it behind Chloe once she'd entered the room. Oliver was stood behind his desk, reading the sheet of paper he held in his hand. Chloe cleared her throat to draw his attention to her.

"Chloe!"

He faked surprise well, she could give them that.

"Is everything alright?"

Chloe stepped further into his office, towards the chess set set up near his wet bar. She picked up the white king, and played with it in her fingers.

"I've come to apologise."

"Apologise?" Oliver looked at her with genuine confusion. "What do you have to apologise for?"

"I underestimated you, Oliver." She placed the little chess piece on the desk in front of him. "I forgot who you really were."

Oliver perched on the edge of his desk in front of her, and crossed his arms across his chest. "I'm still not any clearer here, Sidekick."

Chloe smirked and wagged a finger at him, "See, right there, that was a clue. I genuinely believed that you were only invested in reforming our friendship, but it wasn't about that at all."

He moved to protest, but Chloe held her hands up. "Okay, it wasn't just about our friendship."

"You know how important you are to me. What's this about, Chloe?"

"Somehow, I became too comfortable. I thought of you as Ollie, my friend. I also forgot that you are Oliver Queen - the Green Arrow. Both, great strategists."

Chloe watched his posture change, and a frown develop on his forehead. "What are you saying?"

"Your face is too pretty."

Oliver choked on the air he was breathing. "Excuse me?"

Chloe rolled her eyes. "You're a wise ass. When in difficult situations, you let your mouth run with whatever insult pops into your head first."

"It's a gift." He said smugly.

"You were in captivity for hours, and you only have a few cuts and scrapes to show for it." Chloe poked at the small cut just below his hairline to prove her point.

"Ow?"

She then slapped him round the head.

"Ow! Seriously, what the hell Chloe?"

Ignoring his complaints, she took a further step towards him to look directly in his eyes. She had her hands on her hips, just to prevent her from taking another jab at him.

"If you had genuinely been captured, you would have been beaten a pulp. You wouldn't have been able to hold back the attitude long enough to prevent a thorough beating. I know you hired Sinclair, Oliver!"

There was little surprise on his face as he rubbed his head. "I knew you would figure it out eventually. I just didn't think there would be this much pain involved."

So this time she punched him in the chest.

"Chloe!" He spluttered.

"That was for making me worry about you!"

"Alright, alright. I'll explain everything - but only if you promise no more violence. Some ribs are genuinely bruised here." He said as he rubbed his chest.

He led them both towards the couch at the far end of the office and they both sat down.

"Why did you do it?" She asked as she sat.

"You were lonely, miserable and bored. You were just too stubborn to see it."

She leaned forward. "You had yourself strapped onto a bomb, Oliver. Did you have to push things that far?"

"Would you have listened to me if you hadn't? I tried talking, remember? You had a gun pointed at me."

Chloe shrugged her shoulders and avoided making eye contact, embarrassed at the memory. "You broke into my apartment, the gun was justified."

Oliver waved her comment away, before continuing. "Everything I said to you that day was true."

He put his hand to her hair and gently tugged on one of the brown curls. "Anne didn't put herself out there to save people she'd cut out of her life. Anne wasn't willing to put herself in danger, and do what needed to be done. That was all you. It was Chloe who cared enough, and did what was right. You can't just hide away such an important part of yourself."

Leaning forward he gently took her hand in his. "You needed that reminder that no matter where you were, or what you were doing, you hadn't changed inside. You'll never be the person to entirely give up on the world and your friends. There's still that hero inside of you that needs to help people."

"I'm not a hero, Oliver. I'm just the girl who got caught up with them."

"Victoria told me how you virtually ripped her life to shreds. You tore through several secure servers and committed a handful of felonies to get to her - to get to me. I think that makes you a hero, or at least mine at any rate." He said with a small smile.

"I don't like to be misled."

"And I'm sorry that that was the only way I could snap you out of your funk. It was obvious that the only person who could pull you back, was you. No amount of begging or pleading was gonna cut it."

Chloe sat there in silence and looked down at her hands. "It felt like the right thing to do, leaving like that. There's been so much blood and death…"

"You're strong, you know that. We can get through everything that's happened, but we need to do it together. You've proven to yourself that you can still do this, that you're still that fighter."

"I didn't want to face the idea that I could lose anyone else, that I could be responsible. That's why I had to run."

"You don't have to explain yourself. If anyone gets it, it's me." Oliver tilted her chin up with a single finger so he could look into her eyes "But you need to know that you've left a giant hole here, and I'm not just talking about the team. Chloe Sullivan has been missed from the world."

Chloe rolled her eyes and let out a huff of disbelief.

"I'm not lying here, Chloe. The others can speak for themselves, but I know they feel the same. Not having you around made this city feel a whole lot emptier to me. I'm not sure when it happened, but you've become incredibly important to me. You're more than just a teammate, and I need for you to know that."

For once, Chloe genuinely didn't know what to say, so she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. She stayed there for several minutes, enjoying the warm embrace and the familiar scent of his aftershave.

"There's one thing I couldn't figure out. Bart." Chloe pulled away to look up at Oliver. "Was he in on it?"

"He took a lot of convincing, but he eventually agreed. He didn't approve of my methods." Oliver replied, reluctantly letting go.

Chloe nodded her head. She might not have agreed with his methods, but who was to say that she wouldn't have done the same if the roles were reversed.

"Thank you, Oliver. For everything."

She meant it. Even through her hurt pride, she really did mean it.

"No more running away, for either of us. If our lives become too much, we talk it out, okay?"

She nodded her head. "Agreed."

"Good." Oliver said with a genuine smile. "And as part of our newfound honesty policy, can i suggest something?"

"Sure." She replied warily.

Yet again his hand found their way to her brown curls. "As cute as you are as a brunette, I hear that blondes have way more fun."

"Is that right?" She said with a smirk.

"Come on, I'll show you." He stood up and offered his hand to her, helping Chloe to her feet. "There's a new Metro coffee shop that's opened a block from here. I hear their caramel macchiatos are good."

"Only if you're buying. I'm broke, remember?"

"I think I can manage a cup of coffee." He smiled at her. Putting his arm around her he let her towards the door.

"And a muffin. Bart ate all my food - also your fault."

"I can stretch to a few baked goods."

"Good." She gave him a smile and put her arms around him to.

Nothing was perfect. There was no magic switch that could turn back the last few months. Awful things had happened, and people had died. Now they all just needed to focus on the future, and for her part, Chloe knew that meant letting people in. Running away was never going to be an answer, at least not a permanent one. She knew that she had to trust that her friends would have her back, just as much as she had theirs.


End file.
